J. Jackson, lead singer and lyricist for ApologetiX here again.
Here are the latest entries in the "albums that influenced me" series I started writing in May 2020.
Note: Just because an album appears on this list doesn't mean I give it a blanket endorsement. Many of the secular albums on this list are mainly there because they wound up being spoofed by ApologetiX.
1605. 20:20 Vision - ApologetiX
Despite the title, the 31st ApologetiX LP,
20:20 Vision, had nothing to do with the year 2020, which was too far in the future for us to think about at the time. The album was recorded live at our 20th anniversary concert in Wexford PA on August 24, 2012, and released that October. We’d done live projects before, but never quite like this. It was a two-disc set, because we wanted fans to finally have a recording that completely captured the ApologetiX experience, including dialogue between songs, comedy routines, teaching, testimonies, etc. We tried to think of the “live” albums we liked best when we were growing up. It wasn't the polished “semi-live” albums that were practically rerecorded in the studio; it was the recordings that actually captured a band, warts and all, having a blast interacting with their audience. This CD featured three previously unreleased parodies ("Weep Jeremiah," "For Just You," and "Lived the Day You Died"), 16 classics, and a new medley of other favorites ("We Will Walk Through," "Heavenly Hill," and "I Love Apostle Paul"). About half of the songs had female backing vocals. In addition, there were three songs previously available acoustically on our
Soundproof LP that were now electrified ("Huge Slumber Party," "Ain't That a Miracle," and "Aquila"). As they say, hindsight is 20/20. As we looked back on 20 years, our vision had remained the same: to reach the lost and teach the rest. Of course, in this world you can’t always go by what you see. “For we live by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). Nevertheless, God sometimes does such amazing things you can barely believe your eyes, but they are real! One of the most dramatic examples was when Jesus appeared to His disciples after the Resurrection: “After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord” (John 20:20). Ironically, the disciples were using their own vision (eyesight) to see that Jesus was not merely a vision (an apparition). Now that’s what we call a 20:20 vision! Once those disciples saw Jesus, their lives were never the same. That goes for us, too, which is why we intend to keep our vision the same for as long as the Lord allows us to continue. In December 2012, we released an accompanying two-disc DVD,
20:20 Video, containing the same songs and performances as the
20:20 Vision CD. Bonus features on the DVD included an interview section with the current band members, a montage of video greetings and testimonies from fans, and a group discussion with six men who drummed for ApologetiX from 1992–12.
1606. Wreck-It Ralph - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
The Disney animated film
Wreck-It Ralph hit theaters on October 29, 2012. Lisa and I saw it on November 9, with our two oldest daughters, Janna and Heather, who had the day off from school. I can't remember what our expectations were, but Ralph and his animated cohorts exceeded them. The whole thing was funny, clever, charming, and quite touching. Once the DVD came out,
Wreck-It Ralph went on to become an institution in our house ... much quoted and beloved by all five of our kids ... and their parents. Released five days before the film, the soundtrack LP had a number of catchy songs, three of which became standards in the Jackson car: "When Can I See You Again" by Owl City, best known for their 2009 #1 hit "Fireflies"; "Sugar Rush" by J-pop girl group AKB48; and "Wreck-It, Wreck-It Ralph," by Buckner & Garcia, famous for the '80s Top 10 hit "Pac-Man Fever" (#9 in 1982). By 2012, however, only Jerry Buckner remained; his musical partner Gary Garcia had died unexpectedly in November 2011. The album also contained an infectious cut by Rhianna called "Shut Up and Drive" (#15 pop), but the lyrics were too racy for us. Add to that the classic Kool & The Gang #1 hit, "Celebration," and the seven-minute electronica piece "Bug Hunt (Noisia Remix)" by Skrillex. The rest of the album was composed of 19 fairly calm instrumentals by Henry Jackman, with my favorites being "Wreck-It Ralph" (a totally different song than the similarly-titled Buckner & Garcia tune), "Life in the Arcade," and "Royal Raceway." We were all looking forward to the 2018 sequel,
Ralph Breaks the Internet, but I didn't like it nearly as much, although ApX bassist Keith Haynie and his family actually preferred it. I did purchase one selection from that soundtrack, "A Place Called Slaughter Race" by Sarah Silverman, Gal Gadot, and Cast, which I thought was the highlight of the film.
1607. Rise and Shine - Randy Travis
Thanks in large part to his big, baritone voice, country music singer-songwriter Randy Travis rose to prominence in the second half of the '80s with #1 country songs such as "On the Other Hand," "Diggin' Up Bones," "Forever and Ever, Amen." By 1994, he had amassed 15 country chart-toppers, but there was still one more yet to come in the next millennium, and it arrived on this album. On October 15, 2002, Travis released his 14th studio LP,
Rise and Shine, his second for the Christian label Word Records. The first single, "Three Wooden Crosses," went to #1 and was named the Country Music Association Song of the Year. It's a story song with a classic country twist that'll put a lump in your throat. The three crosses mentioned in the title were not the ones on Mount Calvary, but the lyrics present a powerful gospel message nonetheless. So do the other 12 songs on
Rise and Shine. The second single, "Pray for the Fish," only made it to #48 on the country chart, but it's fantastic and funny, well-written, well-played, well-sung and well worth a listen ... and repeated listens. One of the old ApologetiX bus drivers, Rich Polick, knew I was curious about "Three Wooden Crosses," so he let me hear the album, and I eventually purchased both singles on iTunes. Other noteworthy numbers I especially enjoyed included "Raise Him Up," "When Mama Prayed," "That's Jesus," "Jerusalem's Cry," "Keep Your Lure in the Water," "If You Only Knew," "Everywhere We Go," and the gut-wrenchingly vulnerable closing number, "Valley of Pain." The lyrics to that last song seem especially poignant in retrospect after all the hard times Travis went on to face a decade later, including very public legal incidents involving alcohol in 2012, then congestive heart failure and a stroke in 2013 that severely affected his ability to sing and speak. Although he didn't write "Valley of Pain,' I hope the prayers Randy expressed in it were answered: "Bathe me in a river of my tears. Whisper hope and truth and courage in my ears. Remind me when I reach the other side. I'll be thankful for every tear that I cried. Don't let me grow bitter, I pray. Give me strength to carry on my way. Don't let the darkness drive me insane. While I'm walkin' through, walkin' through a valley of pain."
1608. Now That's What I Call Christmas! 2 - Various Artists
Released on September 20, 2003,
Now That's What I Call Christmas! 2: The Signature Collection contained 36 tracks ... the same number as the previous volume but with fewer legitimate holiday classics. Yes, it featured many well-known songs and many iconic artists, but only a limited number of songs that were actually made famous by the artist performing them. The biggies — and some of these weren't even that big — were: "All I Want for Christmas Is You" by Mariah Carey, "Last Christmas" by George Michael, "Christmas Wrapping" by The Waitresses, "Step Into Christmas" by Elton John, "Run Rudolph Run" by Chuck Berry, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" by Burl Ives, "Auld Lang Syne" by Guy Lombardo, and "Feliz Navidad" by Jose Feliciano (although that's a live version, not the one you hear on the radio). I've always loved "Step Into Christmas," so I was delighted to see it on the track listing. "Christmas Wrapping" is clever and catchy, too. Oh, man, I just realized the title of that mostly-spoken-but-rhyming song is a pun! D'oh! My other favorites were "Go Tell It on the Mountain" by Andy Griffith and "Kentucky Homemade Christmas" by Kenny Rogers ... a no-brainer, seeing as my wife is from Kentucky, and we always travel there at some point during the Christmas holidays. It's a good tune, too. Disclaimer: Call me a prude, but I could've done without the "d" word in "Christmas Wrapping" and the "h" word in "Kentucky Homemade Christmas," although neither is sung in a way that draws attention to it. I liked Wham! but was never a huge fan of "Last Christmas," although it brings back pleasant memories of Christmases from my college years. George Michael died on December 25, 2015, but I'd forgotten the exact date by the winter of 2016. Then I saw a meme saying "George Michael died last Christmas," and it really hit home. On a happier note, I used to sing "Go Tell It on the Mountain" to each of my children when they were little, so they were quite familiar with that song. Nevertheless, my son, T.J., liked the Andy Griffith version so much he unintentionally started singing it like him. That provided an amusing juxtaposition, because Andy was about 70 when he recorded it, and T.J. was just a little fellow.
1609. The Last Temptation - Alice Cooper
In the early 2000s, an ApologetiX fan in Beloit WI informed us that Alice Cooper was now a professing Christian and had actually recorded a couple albums reflecting his faith. He would go on to make three, and ApX bassist Keith Haynie eventually got them all and dutifully played them while driving our 15-passenger van (before we got the bus). The first was titled
The Last Temptation. Released in July 1994, it was Cooper's 13th studio LP, a concept album that told the story of the attempted corruption (by Satan) and ultimate redemption (by Christ) of a young man named Steven, who had also been in Cooper's 1975 album
Welcome to My Nightmare. This project pulled no punches: The music rocked, the production was pristine, the backing vocals were stellar, and the lyrics made for one heck of a ride. Sanctified or not, Coop retained his sense of humor, as evidenced by these words from "Lost in America": "I can't get a girl 'cause I ain't got a car, I can't get a car 'cause I ain't got a job, I can't get a job 'cause I ain't got a car, so I'm looking for a girl with a job and a car." He hadn't lost his ability to shock and tackle scary subjects, either. I could point to numerous examples on
The Last Temptation, but let's go with "Nothing's Free," in which the other main character, a diabolical circus-type showman (literally the devil in disguise) tells Steven, "And when the trumpet sounds and His light is all around and the saints all raise from the graves in the ground, we'll be going way downtown,
way downtown ... and it's dark, and it's cold, and alone, but you're
free. Isn't that what you wanted?" All 10 tracks are terrific and flow together well, so I hesitate to name favorites. While writing this entry I was stunned to discover that two of the tracks hit the U.K. Top 40, "Lost in America" (#22) and the penultimate track on
The Last Temptation, "It's Me" (#34), which appears to be written from the Lord's perspective. The 51 minutes fly by quickly, and even though the subject matter and instrumentation gets heavy sometimes, it's pretty melodic In fact, there are moments on
The Last Temptation that remind me of two DC Talk albums that came out shortly thereafter,
Jesus Freak (1995) and especially
Supernatural (1998). And how about this for a grand finale? The last song, "Cleansed by Fire," closes with these lyrics as Steven addresses the showman: "What about truth? What about life? What about glory? What about Christ? What about peace? What about love? What about faith in God above? What about war? What about hell? What if I stumble? What if I fell? What about blood? What about greed? And all of these things you're offering me? Yeah, what about me, little me? You lose and I win; you couldn't suck me in. It's over, you have no power. You're lost, and I'm found, and I'm Heaven bound. Go back to where you belong, to where you fell — go to hell." For an hour-long interview Alice Cooper did with Pastor Greg Laurie go
here.
1610. Brutal Planet - Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper's 14th studio LP,
Brutal Planet, didn't come out until June 2000, six years after
The Last Temptation, but it displayed a similar biblical undercurrent, with more songs about the ultimate battle between good and evil. The music was brutal indeed, although I mean that in terms of force, not taste. In comparison to the last time we'd heard Alice, it was significantly louder, harsher, and scarier, but so was rock music and the world itself.
Brutal Planet isn't for the faint of heart, and some of the selections — like "Blow Me a Kiss," "Eat Some More," and "Pick Up the Bones" — are only for the strong of stomach. ApologetiX bassist Keith Haynie played this CD pretty frequently in the band van, and the songs I remember best are "Brutal Planet," "Gimme," and "Sanctuary." That title track is brutally honest, too, Check out the first verse: "We're spinning round on this ball of hate. There's no parole, there's no great escape. We're sentenced here until the end of days. And then my brother there's a price to pay." Follow that up with the second verse: "We took advice from that deceiving snake. He said, don't worry; it's a piece of cake. And sent us swimming in a burning lake. Now we're abandoned here for heaven's sake." And then the final words: "Right here we stoned the prophets, built idols out of mud. Right here we fed the lions Christian flesh and Christian blood. Down here is where we hung ya upon an ugly cross. Over there we filled the ovens, right here the holocaust." And I haven't even talked about the chorus, which will certainly stick with you if you dare give it a listen. "Gimme" became the album's only single but didn't make much of an impact on the charts (#85 U.K.). It's a song from the perspective of Satan, similar to "Nothing's Free" on
The Last Temptation. Sample lyrics: "Please don't ask me my name. Does it matter? I'm just here for you. Trust me. just let yourself go. And that's all you need to know." Then later in the same song: "Don't you wish you had it all? Don't you deserve to have it all? Kneel down and tell me what you need. Fame and money all for you. I can make your every dream come true." And in the middle, Cooper gives a wink and a nod to the aforementioned tune from
The Last Temptation, when he says, "There
is one thing: I mean, everything has a price. I really hate to repeat myself, but nothing's free." Believe it or not,
Brutal Planet even has a ballad — the bittersweet, beautiful, "Take it Like a Woman," a sympathetic ode to a victim of domestic abuse. It's reminiscent of Coop's 1975 hit "Only Women," but on steroids. This album is anything but easy listening, but it's still a worthwhile experience if you're a believer who likes hard rock and appreciates lyrics with depth The Japanese edition included a bonus track with this irresistible title: "Can't Sleep, Clowns Will Eat Me."
1611. Dragontown - Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper's 15th studio LP,
Dragontown, came out just 15 months after
Brutal Planet and continued with the theme of that album, as originally established on
The Last Temptation seven years earlier. It may actually be the best of three, although I'm having hard time choosing.
Dragontown is a bit more melodic than
Brutal Planet, but the music and lyrics hit just as hard, with certain moments that are as scary as anything Alice has ever done, most notably "Somewhere in the Jungle" and the title track. And just where is Dragontown? A sampling of the lyrics will give you a clue: "Come on. I've got something to show you. Come on. You thought that it was over. Come on. You're really gonna love this. Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on. We can dig you a hole deep in the ground. Bury your soul down in Dragontown. We'll be lower than low, spiralin' down. Far as you want to go down in Dragontown." And who is the host of this trip? Please allow him to introduce himself in the irresistibly rockin' opening track, "Triggerman": "I am always out of sight — a shadow in the mist. I don't need no alibi, 'cause I don't exist. I'm pure non-entity — don't even look for me. I watch you when you sleep. I am the triggerman. I am the underhand. I'll keep you on your knees. I am the brain police. I am the triggerman. I am the underhand. I'm full of dirty tricks. I'm twice as smart and certainly twice as sick." Many of the other songs are about the current and future occupants of Dragontown — "Sex, Death, and Money," "Fantasy Man," "Disgraceland," "Sister Sara," "Every Woman Has a Name," "I Just Wanna Be God," "Sentinel" — some of whom seem surprised to be there, but none more than the person in "It's Much Too Late," who complains: "The road to hell is littered with nice guys with good intentions. But once you're there, you're there. It's much too late. I can cry and scream it's just not fair to leave me here like you don't care. There must be some mistake up there in heaven. Now it's much too late; my time has passed away. All my plans and dreams have all ended. Now it's much too late to try and plead my case. And I don't know the God I've offended. It's too late." The track that immediately caught my attention when ApX bassist Keith Haynie first played this CD in band van was "Disgraceland," a rockabilly tune sung from the perspective of the King of Rock and Roll. Believe it or not, Alice does a killer Elvis impersonation; you won't believe your ears. Moreover, the lyrics are brilliant, but that's not unusual for this album or the two that came before it. Released on September 18, 2001, just one week after the infamous attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon,
Dragontown only made it to #197 on the
Billboard 200, but it went to #87 on the U.K. albums chart. Both of its predecessors in the trilogy —
The Last Temptation (#68 U.S., #6 U.K.) and
Brutal Planet (#193 U.S., #38 U.K.) — also fared significantly better across the pond.
